Gateway to heaven
by chris pwure
Summary: the sanzo-ikkou arrive in heaven, and now... something's happened to poor Goku!!!
1. The eggtart

Chapter 1: Eggtart, gateway to heaven  
  
It was a nice boring day. the sun shining its brilliant rays on the ground. making the ground boiling hot. and making the Sanzo-ikkou's tempers rise too, apparently to the boiling point. it was the usual, completely expected behaviour you would well, expect to see. Nothing unusual, just two people arguing in the backseat of a green jeep, one patiently driving with a constant smile on his face, and another. who well, would get up from his seat at various intervals to beat the crap out of those two quarreling in the backseat.  
  
Suddenly, the quarreling ceased. Completely stopped. Finished. Over. Peace reigned for a mere seconds.  
  
"I smell food, I know I do!"  
  
It was too good to be true, the silence was shattered.  
  
Sanzo put his hand on his forehead and mentally gave himself a slap. They were in the middle of the desert for God sake; even the most experienced food-seeker-by-smelling-out-food-with-an-infallible-nose would not be able to smell anything. He smiled, and looked at Goku, a.k.a. the above said food-seeker, with a challenge in his violet eyes.  
  
"Pray tell, my dear boy. Where do YOU think the smell is coming from? Show us, and maybe I'd acknowledge the fact that your nose is the greatest in the universe." Sanzo said smugly, knowing that it was virtually impossible for ANYONE to find food in the desert.  
  
"You issued the challenge, I'd accept it."  
  
"Hakkai, follow my directions." The driver complied, though he was full of doubt at the young youkai's ability to find food in the desert.  
  
"Turn right."  
  
"Turn left."  
  
"Turn right."  
  
"Stop! Why don't you just say go in a straight line?" Goku's backseat companion, Gojyo, complained. His head was pounding and he was sure he was suffering from heatstroke. It was times like this that he understood Sanzo's eagerness to whack Goku with his unofficial fan of punishment.  
  
"Shut up, you idiot. My nose needs to follow the direction of the smell, I could have sworn it was stronger in the right direction, but it changed to the left and then to the right again!" Goku growled back, putting his nose in the air to better sniff out the food. "Turn right."  
  
Hakkai tossed a quizzical look at Goku, wanting him to be sure that it was indeed in the right direction.  
  
"I'm positive, Hakkai, please drive."  
  
With that, Hakkai turned the jeep in the right direction.  
  
"Drive faster, the smell's getting stronger."  
  
Hakkai stepped on the accelerator, the jeep surged forward. Sanzo and Gojyo were almost thrown off the jeep.  
  
"Stop!" Goku cried. The jeep stopped inches away from something. It was round, with a crust of golden brown, and inside it was a pale yellow substance. It was nothing that they had ever seen before. But, it smelt good.  
  
"Told you so, my nose IS infallible." Goku danced around in glee, wanting Sanzo to eat his words.  
  
"Since I found it, I should be the one to eat it, besides, I'm a growing boy." Goku continued.  
  
"No way, why should you be the one? I'm bigger than you, I need nourishment." Gojyo countered back.  
  
"It's mine!"  
  
"No, it's mine!"  
  
"It's mine to the power of ten!"  
  
"It's mine to the power of infinity!"  
  
Gunshots could be heard. Goku and Gojyo paused in their argument and clutched each other in fright.  
  
"Maa, maa. why don't we share the food? First of all, we are all hungry; second, sharing gives you a good feeling in your heart." Hakkai tried to resolve the dispute in his usual way.  
  
"No way! Those reasons are not good enough!" Both of them shouted back in unison, and then resumed their glaring fit.  
  
"I'll give you a reason." A drawling voice said behind Hakkai. In an almost lazy tone of voice, Sanzo said: "If you don't, I'll blow your brains to kingdom come."  
  
"An urmm. excellent reason!" Hakkai said, nodding his head furiously.  
  
The two looked at each other and knew the battle was lost. No one in their right mind wanted to contest Sanzo's reason. It was accept it, or suffer the consequences.  
  
Sanzo produced a knife from god knows where, and proceeded to cut the unknown food into quarters. The four of them each grabbed a quarter and popped it into their mouths. There was a sudden flash of lightning and the four of them blacked out, and disappeared from the scene before Goku could even say, "Delicious!"  
  
~End of chapter 1~  
  
Hard work, that was. 


	2. The meeting

Chapter 2: The meeting  
  
In heaven.  
  
There was a flash of light in the great hall, where all the kamis were meeting. The Sanzo-ikkou appeared in a heap, sprawled over each other. When the dust had cleared, they all stood up on shaking legs. Each had looks of puzzlement on their faces when they saw that they were not where they had previously been, the desert.  
  
Sanzo was the first of them to react. As usual, he reacted with the pointing of his Smith and Wesson at the one whom he thought was behind all this. The one with the highest authority, to him, would most likely have the answers to them being in an unfamiliar place.  
  
"Where the hell are we? Why have we been brought here? And who are you?" He tried to sound calm and in control of the situation but in truth, he felt anything but calm. The place was unknown yet at the same time strangely familiar. He hated it. He felt as if the walls were closing in on him. He felt. well, vulnerable, which was a feeling that should never be felt. It made people weak.  
  
The person the questions were thrown at was actually, God. He trembled, not with fear, but with anger at the audacity of a mere mortal questioning him, the most high.  
  
Before anyone could react, a familiar voice replied in answer to the questions.  
  
"Do you not know where you are? Do you not know who you are questioning?" Homura stood at the edge of the crowd, with a smile on his face. It looked as if this meeting would be boring no longer.  
  
"Homura! Looks like you are the one behind all this! Return us to where we were and let us continue on our journey!" An enraged Goku could take it no longer. The Gods were constantly playing with them and manipulating their fates.  
  
God interrupted their conversation. He was clearly irritated that he did not know the newcomers when others did.  
  
"Homura taishi! Explain yourself! Who are they?"  
  
Homura ignored God's question and said in reply to Goku's.  
  
"For once, you can be sure that I know nothing of your being here. I'm as surprised as anyone to see you joining us for our meeting."  
  
Gojyo cut in: " Right, as if we'd believe that. Do you think we are that stupid? Are you even capable of telling the truth?"  
  
"Urusei!" Sanzo suddenly screamed. Everyone put their hands on their ears. Sanzo certainly had a good pair of lungs.  
  
"Look, just tell us where we are. If I'm not wrong, we should be in, ah. heaven?" Ever the silent watcher and observer, Hakkai had hit the nail on the head.  
  
"Excuse my impertinence, but if I may ask if you are God? We do not know where we are or how we got here. Is there any way to bring us back down to earth?" Hakkai politely asked. After all, politeness got people everywhere.  
  
However, God was not appeased. He frowned and raised an eyebrow.  
  
"So, you want to know where you are? Well, I'm not at liberty to say anything; after all, you were so rude just now! If you want to know anything, I think you should first introduce yourselves before asking anything!"  
  
Homura noticed Sanzo's tightly clutched fists and stopped Sanzo before he could explode and start screaming the place down again.  
  
"If I may, Kami-sama, do you not recognize them?" He pointed towards each of them in turn.  
  
"Konzen Douji."  
  
"Kenren Taishou."  
  
"Tenpo Gensui."  
  
"Son Goku."  
  
Everyone whipped their heads towards the Sanzo-ikkou, taking in Homura's words. They could hardly believe what he had said. Though there were similarities, it was plainly impossible for the four people to be whom Homura had claimed them to be.  
  
"They're dead. You only talk rubbish, how can they be who you say they are?" God flared up again as he thought Homura was taking him for a fool.  
  
Suddenly, the doors of the room were flung open and light illuminated two figures standing at the entrance. Kanzeon Bosatu stood there, her hands on her hips. Her ever-faithful servant, Jirousin, stood behind her.  
  
"Is what Homura said so hard to believe? Of course, they aren't them. After all, weren't they sent down to heaven 500 years ago? If you have any common sense at all, you'd see that they are indeed the reincarnate of the four."  
  
She waggled a figure at them, saying, "Follow me". Then, she turned, expecting them to fall into step and follow her. Sanzo followed her first, probably thinking that she was the saner out of the two, he would rather follow her than talk to God. The others followed behind, leaving God staring at them speechless in surprise. Homura gave Goku a wink, with only "I'll catch you later," on his lips.  
  
~End of chapter 2~  
  
*I plead insanity when I was writing this* I just could not resist putting Homura in, he is just so hot, what can I say?? (",) 


	3. The Rooms

Chapter 3: The Past, Revisited  
  
Kanzeon walked down the hall, paying no heed to the questions that followed her from the Sanzo-ikkou. She remained silent throughout. Nothing anyone said could trigger even a flicker of emotion from her.  
  
Finally, after massive amounts of turning lefts and rights, they reached a brightly-lit corridor and she showed Sanzo and Goku to a room.  
  
"This will be your room for your whole stay here."  
  
She saw that Sanzo looked ready to explode AGAIN and hastened to add.  
  
"Whatever questions you may have, I'm afraid I'm not able to answer most of them, I guess you'd have to find the answers yourselves."  
  
Kanzeon turned without a backward glance and motioned to Gojyo and Hakkai to follow her. Hakkai smiled, waved, and said: "We'll be back soon to visit you!"  
  
Goku excitedly peered into the room and almost gave a shriek that could rival even Sanzo's earsplitting scream before.  
  
"What? What! Do you want to make me deaf? Bakasaru!"  
  
Goku had jumped onto one of the two beds with a picture of acute bliss on his face.  
  
"Wah. a real bed. After so long. and there's one for you and me! Now we don't have to play poker and lose!"  
  
Without warning, Sanzo's fan descended on Goku's head, giving rise to a huge bump.  
  
"Hurts.. That hurts.why you do that to me?"  
  
"Hmph. I'm not blind, you know." Sanzo wandered to the other bed and grudgingly sat down. He lit a cigarette and briefly wondered where the other two were.  
  
Gojyo put a hand on Hakkai's shoulder and whispered: "Do you think there's something whacked out with her? We've been walking for some time and there's no sign of her stopping anywhere!"  
  
Kanzeon turned around: "I heard that, if you want to say something, make sure the person you are talking about can't hear you."  
  
"Oops."  
  
"Here you are. Your rooms. Feel free to use anything inside, after all, they were once yours."  
  
She disappeared without they could question her on that weird statement  
  
"Ok."  
  
Both of them went into their respective rooms and Hakkai almost fainted.  
  
"Who did she say these rooms belonged to? Someone up there hates me!" Hakkai could hardly believe that anyone could be that messy. Books, thrown everywhere, littered the whole room. There was not even a bed. Wait, the bed WAS there, just buried beneath the moulds of history books. With a little cleaning up, the room could be counted as really big and spacious.  
  
"On contrary, my room's filled with sake and cigarettes. Something tells me that my stay here's going to be pleasant." Gojyo acknowledged the presence of his favourite things with a nod.  
  
Both of them stood outside the rooms.  
  
"I wonder what Kanzeon meant when she said whatever was in these rooms where once ours?" Hakkai was mystified.  
  
"Why don't we wander around? Kanzeon didn't say we couldn't" Gojyo asked  
  
He then pulled a reluctant Hakkai after him. 


	4. The Wandering

Chapter 4: The Wandering.  
  
Gojyo was curious, plain and simple. If what he had heard and seen so far could be evidence that they were indeed in heaven, it was not as bad as he thought.  
  
They walked the corridors together, Gojyo and Hakkai. It was like always, nothing new.  
  
"Halt!"  
  
The order was shouted at them by a young man in military grab, the group behind him stumbling to a halt. Gojyo and Hakkai looked at each other, unsure if the order had been meant for them or the army.  
  
"You two, right there! Are you all deaf?"  
  
"Maa, maa, I'm sorry, we didn't know if you were talking to us." Hakkai apologized profusely.  
  
"Hakkai, what are you doing? He insulted us and you still apologize?" Gojyo whispered, a little more than pissed off.  
  
"Why are you walking these corridors? Do you know that only those in the west army may do so, other important people exempted? Most likely you are not important in any way, so you do not have any excuse!" the man retorted.  
  
"We didn't know. I'm sorry. These corridors belong to the west army? What is your role in heaven?" it was Hakkai's turn to be curious.  
  
"I don't think it's any of your business. Can I perhaps escort you back to your rooms?" he replied, anyone could see that it was sarcasm that was coming out from his mouth, but Gojyo just did not seem to get that. SLOW!  
  
"It's just down the hall. You don't have to send us back." Gojyo said.  
  
"What? Impossible! There are only two rooms down that hall, and they are forbidden! They once belonged to Kenren Taishou and Tenpo Gensui. No one, absolutely no one but them were allowed to stay in those rooms."  
  
"Well, it's just too bad then, because we ARE staying there." Gojyo tossed back a smirk.  
  
"Are you trying my patience?"  
  
"No, just testing it."  
  
"Are you looking for a fight? I'll be more than happy to oblige you."  
  
"I wouldn't want to waste my time fighting someone like you. Come on, Hakkai, let's go."  
  
Kuso, the military man in charge, could not take the insult lying down. Who did these men think they were?  
  
"I insist you take me on. I'll show you that the people in the west army are not easily bullied."  
  
Gojyo sighed:" One shouldn't be too cocky. If that's what you want." he trailed off.  
  
Kuso positioned himself in a battle stance. Gojyo rushed at him, taking out his weapon in the process. Hakkai was worried. Gojyo was always too confident and they didn't know if the newcomer was someone with great or lousy skills.  
  
Kuso defended himself marvelously, his fighting skills foreign to Gojyo and Hakkai. However, that didn't seem to bother Gojyo. The fight had barely began. Gojyo dodged each of Kuso's blows with the ease and laziness of someone who just could not be bothered. Kuso lunged at Gojyo who dodged and shot out an elbow to the back of the head that sent Kuso sprawling across the floor. Gojyo jumped into the air, executing a three-sixty, and finally landed another good solid kick to the side of Kuso's head. Kuso grunted and staggered back.  
  
"Your fighting style, I've seen it before, you mirror the maneuvers of the general!"  
  
"I have no idea what the hell you are talking about, would you like me to stop now before you get brain damage?" Gojyo asked rather pleasantly.  
  
"Wait! Who are you?"  
  
"No one important, but someone good enough to kick your ass. Are you the freaking general in charge of this army? I bet I'll be a better general than you'll ever be."  
  
A shadow fell across Kuso's face. He blinked and turned away.  
  
"You're right. For 500 years, I've tried. But, I've never been able to be as good as General Kenren."  
  
"General Kenren? Who is he? Tenpo Gensui? Those names are awfully familiar. Do you remember, Gojyo, when Homura was so-call introducing us to God? He called us by those names." Hakkai frowned, trying to remember exactly if he was indeed correct.  
  
"Homura Taishi called you that? Then, the rumors are true." Kuso stepped back and looked at them closely. He could hardly believe it, after so long, it was time the general and marshal returned.  
  
"What rumors? Do you mean to say that WE are the people you were talking about? That Gojyo here is your general, the general of the West Army?" Hakkai persisted in his questioning. It was getting too confusing, it was time for some answers.  
  
"Yes, your friend is Kenren Taishou and you are, Tenpo Gensui, our marshal, our second-in-command. I didn't want to believe it at first, but after seeing your friend fight with me, it's obvious. His character, his style of fighting, is exactly like our General."  
  
"Welcome back."  
  
Kuso continued. "We request that you return to your rightful place in the hierarchy of heaven, both of you, to continue as our leaders."  
  
It was Hakkai's turn to be stunned. He had nothing to say.  
  
Gojyo however, was a different story.  
  
"It'll be fun. Why not? At last, my rank will be higher than even Sanzo's!" Gojyo did not mind, after all, it was hard to say how long they were going to stay in heaven. How hard could it be? The General just needed to bark out orders at people, no real work involved. He was cool with that, just fine, in fact.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
~ End of chapter 4~  
  
*the plot's just developing. Gojyo and Hakkai need to be in a high position first before anything can be done. Please be patient, I need time to churn out a story. (",) btw, this story is sort of co-written. My younger sis comes out with the ideas and I develop them. -christine- 


	5. The Understanding

Chapter 5  
  
Sanzo paced up and down the room, stopping momentarily to pause and ask Goku something.  
  
"Are you ill? You haven't told me you were hungry for, I don't know, 3 hours? It's a world record!" the blonde monk asked.  
  
Goku considered the question and decided that Sanzo sounded caring, (surprise, surprise) and that he was not being sarcastic.  
  
"Don't you find this place familiar? Why wouldn't that lady give us any answers? I think, we should find Hakkai and Gojyo."  
  
"Right, let's go."  
  
"Urm, Sanzo, do you even know where they are?"  
  
"Forgot about that. Well, it looks like we have to wait for them to look for us."  
  
They did not have to wait long. The door opened and the missing members of their group trooped in. Gojyo seemed very much at home, much to Sanzo's chagrin. He was also dressed strangely, wearing a uniform very like those in an army, which Sanzo had seem pass by his room.  
  
Gojyo looked, way better than he normally did, that even Sanzo had to admit. Was it the uniform that seemed to be giving Gojyo even more of a strut in his steps? Goku seemed pleased to see them, probably missed his verbal sparring partner.  
  
"Gojyo, why are you wearing something like that?" Goku asked, taking in the strange new gab that adorned Gojyo's lean frame.  
  
"These people in the West Army made me general and Hakkai their marshal. They've got good taste. Seems to me that we were once their leaders, in our past lives or something." Gojyo answered back.  
  
"Spare me. I bet you'll mess up the job. The people up here are even more idiots that I thought they were." Sanzo smirked back.  
  
"I don't know about that, my dear friend. Don't you think, however, it's great that my rank is finally higher than yours?" This job had good perks, Gojyo decided. He was at last to be treated with the respect he deserved.  
  
Before Sanzo could come up with a good biting reply, Kanzeon stepped through the doorway.  
  
"Here you go. Now do your job." Kanzeon placed a huge stack of paperwork onto Sanzo's hands.  
  
The stack of paper immediately transferred hands again as Sanzo dumped everything to Goku, who staggered back and widened his golden eyes at the sheer weight of the papers.  
  
"My job? I already have a job! I'm a Sanzo!"  
  
"Doesn't matter. You can't kill any youkai here since there's none, and I don't think any kami here are in desperate need of spiritual enlightenment. You might as well make yourself useful, and work for heaven like you used to."  
  
There was a slight hissing noise as Sanzo let out the breath he did not know he was holding out through his teeth. He was interrupted before he could begin his tirade of protest.  
  
"Just a moment. You say Sanzo used to work for heaven too? If so, is my rank still higher than Sanzo's? What exactly does Goku do then? He seems to be the only one that has nothing to do."  
  
"Sad to say, you still lost. Sanzo has a higher rank than you even in heaven." Kanzeon put on a sad expression on her face but it was plain to everyone that there was no sympathy given.  
  
"As for Goku, he was, kind of Sanzo's pet." At least there was a slightly sheepish look on her face. Goku had an expression of utter horror but it changed into a smile when he realized that he was free to do anything he liked as pets did no work. Gojyo exploded into peels of laughter and rolled on the floor in glee at the thought of Goku being led around in a chain by Sanzo.  
  
"Nonsense. Fine. If you want me to do work for you, I'll do it." Sanzo put a stop to all the so-called nonsense and walked out of the room.  
  
Kanzeon waved a merry finger at the rest and proceeded to hustle Goku out of the room.  
  
With nothing else to do, Hakkai and Gojyo walked out and turned into another hallway.  
  
Hakkai was too busy taking in the surroundings to watch where he was going and bumped into a solitary figure that walked the hallways.  
  
"Gomen. I didn't see you."  
  
The man answered back. "That's alright." He gave Hakkai and Gojyo a once-over and nodded.  
  
As Hakkai and Gojyo walked away, Hakkai commented: "It's weird, but I've got the feeling we met that man before and even though we've just met for the first time, I've got this creepy feeling emitting from him. I wonder who he is?"  
  
The man, hearing his words, smiled and turned his back on the two.  
  
"Looks like my plans have got a little more complicated. Never mind. I'll deal with them when the time comes. Looks like I got four when I only wanted one." Li Touten muttered under his breath, but he could barely conceal his smile of glee at the thought that everything was falling into place.  
  
~End~  
  
Well, so sorry for taking so darn long with this chapter. I wrote this during Christmas, and I was a little heehee, drunk on wine, so pardon me if there's anything wrong with it.  
  
Just a little correction to make. In chapter 4, I put that Kenren's rank was higher than tempo, so sorry. It's the other way round. Happy reading 


	6. The Blow

Chapter 6: The Blow  
  
Disclaimer: I do not in any way own saiyuki, duncha think that's really sad??? I think so too.. Pity.  
  
Notes: this chapter took really long to write. Not because I had no ideas, but I was because I was just plain busy! This chapter is dedicated to the best friend in the world, another insane saiyuki fan, Yue Yiao.  
  
Review! Thankies.  
  
Now, on to the chapter.  
  
A few days had passed, but to Sanzo, it felt as if he had been in heaven for weeks, months, even years. He hated the endless boringness of perusing petitions, and the long and utterly meaningless (or so he thought) talks with Kanzeon. She wished to say nothing about them being in heaven and would not offer a single word of praise for his work. It was not as if he needed to hear a word of praise, but, it still would have been nice. Sanzo did not want to admit that he was scared. Scared of that woman? Perhaps. But he sure did not want to offend her. He knew that it was she that directed their mission, and knew that unless she wished to show her powers, they were pretty awesome powers. He did not want to witness a demonstration.  
  
Goku, on the other hand, seemed at home and loving it. The gods and goddesses adored the saru and would not hesitate to feed him with countless tidbits the minute they knew of Goku's love of food. He was in food heaven, literally. He spent all his time eating if not sleeping. Most of the time, he was near Sanzo, irritating the hell out of his guardian. The paper fan descended less often, as there were less cries of "Sanzo, I'm hungry." There was no youkai to disturb him, so he took to fighting with hand to hand combat with Gojyo. "I need to stay in shape", was the excuse commonly given when Sanzo screamed at the both of them to shut up as he was working.  
  
  
  
Hakkai found it interesting, making notes of the things he witnessed. Filing away the things he heard and witnessed, he quickly gained what seemed to be quite an admirable amount of support for one that just became a marshal a few days ago. The army gained respect for Hakkai, not just Tenpo. He found himself enjoying the work and wishing not to return to the journey. At times like that, he mentally gave himself a slap for even thinking about it, people were counting on the four of them to make a difference and stop the youkai.  
  
Gojyo liked heaven too, if not for the goddesses, his work. Never thought to be more than a slacker of the group, he, like Hakkai, quickly proved himself to be a cut above the rest. The army never questioned his decisions, giving him a sense of accomplishment that he never knew he had. He, liked Hakkai, also wished not to return. Here, he was, in a high military post, held in high respect by all, would he rather return to where he was despised?  
  
Sanzo sat in his usual spot, in between perusing his boring petitions and whacking Goku. He was bored stiff and realized that it was high time he had some excitement in his life. After all, who would enjoy this stuff. He spotted Homura, just then, walking along the corridor.  
  
Heck! Anything for a bit of excitement. He hailed Homura, before he could regret it.  
  
Homura looked shocked that his dreaded enemy would look at him and call him near. But, he came.  
  
Goku looked at Homura wearily and disappeared. He wandered over to the lotus pond where a stiff figure was standing. He did not seem to have seen the man before, the face shrouded in shadows. In his ever cheerful and trusting tone of voice, he asked who the man was. The man only looked at him, his eyes downcast. Goku looked behind the man, at the face of someone strangely familiar, yet unknown. The figure was a boy, eyes lifeless and sad.  
  
"Who is that?"  
  
"That is my son."  
  
"What happened to him?"  
  
"Something bad. He was so young, too young to understand the true nature of his duty."  
  
"I don't understand. Who is he?"  
  
"He was Toushin Nataku Taishi. He was just a boy, he didn't deserve the weight of Tenkai on his shoulders."  
  
Goku looked with interest at Nataku.  
  
"How long has he been like that?"  
  
"500 years."  
  
It was indeed a long time and Goku's heart went out to the man who obviously loved his son very much. He brushed away a tear that was tickling down his cheek.  
  
"Heaven blamed me. They thought I had forced my son into being the Toushin Taishi. They thought I wanted glory and honour and to take over Tenkai. I didn't! Why would I force my son into a duty he wished not to take in order to gain Tenkai? They'll tell you, if you ask them, that I was an evil man, that I loved no one but myself."  
  
Goku took all that the man said in, wishing he could do something to ease the pain of the father.  
  
"What do you wish to do?"  
  
"I want to show Tenkai that they are wrong, that I truly loved my son. You know, my son and you were good friends, but though a misunderstanding, you quarreled. Maybe, you could help me achieve my goal?"  
  
"How can I?"  
  
"Take the place of Nataku. Not by being the Toushin Taishi, of course not, as Homura's still doing a great job, but show Tenkai that you will fight for them through your own free will, on my orders."  
  
"I." Wasn't that wrong? How could you show that you loved your son in that way? By getting me to fight in his place without an actual rank? What would Sanzo think? Hakkai? Gojyo? Would they want me to help?  
  
The man was observing Goku's every facial expression and he knew that there was a struggle within the saru. Of course, it seemed obvious that Goku was having problems with his loyalties, to go with his friends or to help someone in pain. Tough choice. It wasn't planned, it was carried out in less than a matter of seconds. In that few seconds, the man held his breath, wondering if he had done it.  
  
What he had done was pretty painful, if you were Goku that is. He had simply hit Goku on the head with a wooden bat. Painful? Beyond doubt.  
  
Goku lay dazed out on the floor. He was acutely aware of the large bump on his head. Funny. How could he have ended up on the floor? He slowly sat up, a hand unconsciously going up to his head and rubbing the bump.  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
Goku looked in surprise at the man.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"You mean you have no idea?"  
  
Goku shook his head, but stopped the movement quickly as it made his head throb more.  
  
"I'm Li Tou Ten. Your father."  
  
Goku nodded slowly, it made sense. He could only remember a few blurred words from a conversation recently. Toushin Taishi. Father. Fight for heaven.  
  
His mind flashed back to a picture of him with three other men. A man with golden blonde hair and a smile that rarely showed, a man with startlingly green eyes and a cheerful smile, and an annoying redhead. Friends? They were fighting with a strange man, powerful in every aspect. Eyes. one gold and blue.  
  
Li Tou Ten looked at Goku's confused expression and it took all of his will power to not shout with joy. Who said everything that went well had to be planned? It was all falling in place. It was only a matter of time before he accomplished what he set out to do, to bring about the fall of Tenkai. He would not fail this time. 


	7. Telling

Chapter 7: Telling  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own saiyuki, which is a pretty sad thing, but what can one do?  
  
Notes: Pooped out from school, and trying to stay awake during lessons. This chappie is dedicated to the ones who believe in me, grace see and yue yiao.  
  
Goku shook his head in amazement. Even the slightest movement made him feel like cringing and screaming "Bakasaru!", at the top of his voice, but he had no idea where that thought had come from. He was still confused and looked to the man who stood towering above him for guidance.  
  
"I.. I. who am I?"  
  
"You are Seiten Taisei Son Goku, my son."  
  
Because there was no reason not to believe the man, Goku accepted what he had said.  
  
Li Tou Ten hurried along the corridor to the meeting place of God after sending a bewildered Goku back to his room. He knelt down at the door and proceeded to plead for an audience with God.  
  
"What rubbish do you have for me? Is it something unimportant, like the last time?"  
  
God was disturbed from his "beauty sleep" and angry that Li Tou Ten was even pushing his luck and trying to get an audience from him. Even after so many years, he could not forget the humiliation he had to endure after learning of the treacherous God's plans to take over Tenkai. Vexed and ashamed of his naive ness, he had let Li stay on to do petty things, like take care of the uniforms for the west army. He was sometimes used as a punching bag for those looking for an outlet for their rage.  
  
"I have important news this time, my lord. It concerns Son Goku."  
  
"Why bother me then? Shouldn't you just go and bother Kanzeon? I bet she'll welcome this... this interruption."  
  
"This is different, I think that you should call his friends and kanzeon too."  
  
"Very well, I'll hear what you have to say, but if it isn't as important as you say it is, you'll regret it."  
  
Sanzo, Gojyo, Hakkai and kanzeon were called from their work and summoned before God. Homura, who had been talking to Sanzo, and had been, having a nice time (surprise), came out of sheer curiosity and a need to see Sanzo kick God's ass. Sanzo had never forgiven God for the whole mess, and had blamed them being in Heaven entirely on him. Sanzo stomped in, stopping only to wait for Homura, who was strolling, as if he had all the time in the world.  
"Hurry up, bakasaru! I want to hear what that idiot has to say and just get the hell out of here!"  
When they were all gathered in front of God, Li Tou Ten stepped forward.  
"Something has happened to Son Goku. He had fallen and hit his head, therefore causing partial amnesia. I'm very sorry, I tried to help him, but I was too late." Li Tou Ten spoke in clear dulcet tones, even and without a trace of emotion, nothing betraying the fact that he one the one who had whacked Goku out.  
  
"Impossible.." Sanzo drawled out, taking an extra long puff of his cigarette. He ignored God's pointed look to put the cigarette out and carried on. "How many times have I hit him on the head with my harisan? It's practically impossible to give that kid brain damage when he has no brain in the first place!"  
  
Homura gave a snort and quickly turned it into a cough at God's annoyed look and clapped Sanzo on the back, "Maybe, it might be possible, but with Li, it's seeing and then believing."  
  
Li continued: " I know you have reason to doubt me, but it's true. Goku is suffering from partial amnesia. I was talking to him before he fell, and when he recovered from the bump, he only "remembered" that he was the Toushin Taishi. I'm serious."  
  
"It may sound unbelievable, but many years of studying medical science from the world below, I have discovered that blows to different parts of the head trigger off different actions. Some, will cause no harm, like Sanzo- sama's blows, or some, like when he fell down the stairs, will cause him to block out certain things, in this case, he seems to vaguely remember a few things." Li said.  
"Where is Goku? I'll see if he remembers me!" Sanzo tossed a contemptuous look at Li.  
Before anyone could stop him, he had made his way to his room and had opened the door cautiously. Goku sat on the bed, a glazed look on his face, the only movement was the slight turning of his head to look at Sanzo as he opened the door.  
  
"Hello, I'm Goku! Who are you?"  
  
"What... what??? You don't remember me?"  
  
"Are you someone important?"  
  
Sanzo's answer to that was to whack Goku on the head with his fan. "Maybe this will jolt your memory!"  
  
Before he could continue his whacking and cause Goku to faint from the sheer pain of the blows, he was tackled from both sides by Hakkai and Gojyo. "Hold it, sanzo, Li says that more blows will cause even more serious damage.. Poor Goku's been in pain, do you want him to suffer more?"  
  
Sanzo looked helplessly at Goku, his hands falling to his side. He walked to the table as hakkai and Gojyo watched silently, afraid of what Sanzo would do. He seemed very much affected by what had happened. Sanzo paused at the table, and banged both fists on the table, muttering a curse. He sat on the chair, murmuring a soft : "Why" before cradling his head in his arms.  
  
"That's really freaky, don't you think?" Gojyo muttered to Hakkai. "Do you think he really cares for that Saru after all?"  
"With Sanzo, it's hard to tell, but I know that he really cares." Hakkai whispered back. I really hope Goku and sanzo will be ok. When will we have stability in our lives? It's always one thing after another. 


	8. chapter 8no title yet

Disclaimer: Yada yada, I do not own Saiyuki... sue me.  
  
Yay to all those kind people who have been faithfully reading and reviewing this fic, thanks a lot for ur support. to yue yiao, we had better go out shopping someday. XP  
  
Sanzo played with his food like a grown man never should. He did not feel like eating, would one feel like eating in circumstances like this? Hakkai had made him leave Goku with Gojyo, making Sanzo seriously want to doubt his friend's intelligence at that point of time. Leave Goku with Gojyo? It was asking for trouble. He had ignored the remark that Hakkai had given: that Goku would be safer with Gojyo then with Sanzo. Who knew if Sanzo intended to whack Goku the minute they were left alone? With the flashback still fresh in his head, Sanzo got up from the table, sudden decision hitting him.  
  
Homura caught his half insane look and thought to himself: the poor boy's lost touch with reality. He probably has no idea what he is doing. He pulled Sanzo down and tapped the bowl of rice that Sanzo had left untouched. It was a clear signal that he wanted Sanzo to eat.  
  
Sanzo mechanically picked up the chopsticks and lifted a grain of rice to his mouth. He chewed slowly and then announced. "We're leaving this god damn place. We'll grab Goku and leave. "  
  
"How can you?" Homura did not believe for one second that Sanzo would leave with Goku. "You've tried. Or have you forgotten? If you really could leave, you would have left a long time ago. Clearly, someone brought you here for a reason, and the only thing you can do is wait for the show to play out."  
  
"Show? You expect a show? You can just wait until you die because you will not see one." The long look and retort from Sanzo was not the usual dagger like response he normally gave Homura. It lacked punch. It lacked confidence. It was pathetic. Homura hated it.  
  
"I suggest you start thinking rationally before opening that mouth of yours. Think of something useful instead of whining. You're pathetic. You're not the person I used to admire. Get a grip. Be a man." Homura curled his lip in disgust.  
  
The words barely left his mouth before his face was treated to a bowl full of rice. Before the morsels could drop from his face, he was slugged right in the nose. Blood sprayed onto his shirt. He was then hulled up from the front of his shirt and then crashed unceremoniously to the ground.  
  
"Be a man? I'm being one right now. " Sanzo gave a self-satisfied grin as he stormed out of the room with the air of the self-righteous. He was back, thank god for that.  
  
Hakkai clapped. He admired the fact that Homura had managed to return Sanzo into his own sweet, endearing character, even thought the method by which he had done so was rather unorthodox. It was hard to believe that anyone could have dared to do that, not even Goku. Gojyo or his words would hardly get a rise out of Sanzo. It was lucky that someone COULD have and HAD done so.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Sanzo did not pause in his fast paced walk. In his heart, he knew Homura was right. Of course, he would never admit that. He would never admit that others were right, and he was wrong. He was not doing anything except acting like a whiner. When you want to get things done, do it yourself. Which was why he was taking the path that would lead him to Kanzeon.  
  
She had seen him coming from down the hall and was pleased that he had finally got his head screwed back on and he had sought the best way to resolve the matter: through her. It was a wonder that not many people thought to ask her for help. After all, she was the one who sat and watch while others providing nothing but entertainment for the bored goddess.  
  
"Please, Kanzeon. I know you know something, so why don't you tell me what you know and we'll settle this quickly?" his tongue tangled over the "I know you know" and Kanzeon had a hard time trying to surpass the laughter from her lips. He looked so earnest.  
  
"I can't help you. I know it's hard, watching those you love suffer. But, this is where I cannot help you, except offer words of advice. Follow your heart, never doubt it, or your instincts, and you'll find the way out. The show has yet to be played out."  
  
His eyes bored into hers. "Are you and Homura in cohorts? If I hear one more word about a show waiting to happen, I'll punch you. And you've rarely helped me, most of the time, just like this, you'll only offer cryptic "words" of advice."  
  
"I can't help it. Take my advice or leave it. Homura saying that shows that he's grown up, he has learnt to analyze things. Unlike you. Stick close to him and I promise you you'll learn more things than you could ever learn by yourself. He knows, trust me. Now leave me, and learn the things that can never be learnt unless through real life encounters."  
  
Sanzo thought about stamping his foot but he knew that would only strengthen the goddess's claim that he didn't know anything. He left, eager to get back to Homura and see if he could spare anymore of his so-called worldly wisdom.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
He pulled open the door to the room where he had left Homura, and a poker card hit him square on his face. He ventured a peep in and almost laughed. Worldly wisdom? Right. Him getting wisdom from a person throwing a tantrum because he could not win a poker game? He snorted.  
  
"Oy, Homura, stop playing with Hakkai. You'll never win." With that, Sanzo pushed the deck of cards away and fixed a glare on Homura. "Tell me what you think has been happening."  
  
"I've been losing, as any fool can see. That's what's happening. That's it, I'm not playing. " A pout marring his features, Homura crossed his arms across his chest and threw Hakkai an injured look.  
  
The harisan caught him on his back, throwing him off balance. "Stop fooling around, maybe I should rephrase the question. Tell me what you think is happening around here, starting from the time we arrived. Who would have wanted us here?"  
  
"Maybe, you are giving yourself too much credit. Maybe, someone only wanted Goku here. Think a bit, you only came here after eating something, right? It was only in rare occasions would Goku share food. Maybe, someone only expected Goku to eat it and arrive in heaven, not the four of you, plus the dragon." Homura rubbed the bump before it had a chance to redden.  
  
"That's a lot of maybes," mumbled Hakkai. "You don't sound sure of yourself either, Homura. But, I think you are right. Someone wanted Goku here, not all of us. I daresay we've complicated someone's well laid plans. But why?"  
  
"Goku's the Seiten Taisei. Up here, there's always been power struggles. With Goku, it'll be a clear victory. He caused chaos during the last time you were here. Someone very smart planned this, but I have no idea whom. Power struggles start small, maybe from the army. Very few people dare contest the main head until they are sure of their position." Homura paused, unsure if he knew what he was saying, his mind thinking back to the one very famous time where someone had indeed contested God in an almost same situation. Was Goku as good as Nataku? Would the person who had planned all this also use Goku the same way Li Tou Ten had used Nataku?  
  
"But what if? What if someone uses Goku to usurp the head? Then what? We're just going to sit here and wait?" Sanzo was frustrated as well as worried.  
  
Gojyo who had said nothing so far, that Sanzo had even began to forget his existence, lit a cigarette, and answered. "My army, I can trust. Most are willing to work for heaven, and they know their place. But, some, I cannot vouch for. Like Li, he has shifty eyes. And what was he doing near Goku anyway. I still find it hard to believe that Goku was near him. Maybe, Li was the one who hit him, you never know."  
  
"The missing link, " drawled Homura. "There you have it, if anyone has reason to bring you up here, it'll be Li. He did try to overthrow God once. He'll want his revenge on heaven, and what better way to do it than through Goku? It'll make sense if you can get proof."  
  
The four of them looked at each other, trying to process the information. They put their heads together and planned the next step in trying to find out the culprit for their misfortunes. After all, one could not blame another without proof. 


	9. homura

Homura walked away, lost in thought of the previous conversation he had had with his friends. Friends? He caught himself. No. Not friends. What exactly? Something not like friends, something not like sworn enemies anyway. Shaking his head, he tried to clear the muddled half formed theories of what he was doing with the Sanzo-ikkou. What was wrong with him? It was not his nature to be friendly, let alone when he was in a situation where he could take advantage of them. Wouldn't it be a win-win situation to strike now when heaven was in "semi-chaos" and the Sanzo-ikkou right smack in the middle of it? To create his perfect world? No one would blame him surely. Yet, in his heart, he knew that he was incapable of doing such a thing. He would not be like God. He would not be like his father. He would not betray them now that he had been "accepted" by them.  
  
Accepted? How would he really know for sure? What if, they were just pretending to be nice in hopes he would help them? The doubts echoed around in his head. Far off in a distance, he caught a glimpse of a lone figure standing near the bridge linking the west wing to the east, the person's demeanor was relaxed, as though waiting for someone. Homura slowed his steps, and then paused altogether. Li Tou Ten smiled, knowing that Homura was shocked to see him there. He walked to where the Toushin Taishi had stopped, and spoke, his words laced with confidence, quite unlike previous occasions after Nataku had fallen into a deep sleep, locked away in his own consciousness, away from the struggles of an over ambitious father.  
  
"Back from playing with your new friends? Fickle minded person." Li looked in Homura's eyes, not afraid, not worried.  
  
"You dare? I believe what I do is no concern of yours." Homura said coldly, trying to conceal his disbelief at the audacity of the man whose position had gone so low after reaching such a high peak.  
  
"I dare. You're sly, Homura. When your attempts to take Goku away from the Sanzo-ikkou failed, you did something to Goku, probably caused his fall, and weaseled in on them. Trying to gain friendship, no doubt. No one wants to be friends with a heretic. It's pathetic what you'll do to gain the trust of people."  
  
Homura choked. Before he could rebut the unfair accusations that Li was throwing at him, Li continued his self-righteous tirade of protests against him.  
  
"Don't think you've won. Goku is my friend, I'll help him, I'll do whatever I can to help him regain his memory, not like you. I know what you were trying to do, just like you conveniently took the place of my son."  
  
"The only thing I know about you is that you're delusional. Lost your place in heaven, this is the only way you'll get back right at the top. I am not trying to gain friendship nor am I even sure that they regard me as a friend! Mind your own business." Homura turned away, back to the direction he had come from, meaning to put an end to the conversation that was taking its toll on him, as it was voicing all his doubts. He felt Li's hand on his arm, and resisted the urge to fling it off, settling instead for brushing it away.  
  
"I know how you're feeling. Nataku felt the same way. He was never sure if people were being his friend because he was nice or because he had power. Burned once too often I guess. I can help you. Turn away from the uncertainty of friendship of your enemies." Li's tone was soft and sure.  
  
Without turning back, Homura tossed back, : " I'm not as stupid as you think I am, right now, I'm the Toushin Taishi, I know I'm not well liked, it's no surprise. If you could help me, you would have helped Nataku in the same way. And we both know, if that's the kind of help you give him, I'll rather not have your help. What kind of father were you to him anyway to call him your son? You've helped him alright, helped him to crack up, to be in the position he is now!" He did not turn back, did not look to see the effect of the spoken words.  
  
I'm a hypocrite. I do not even believe the words I'm saying. I'm nothing to no one. Homura kept his head lowered, and bumped into Sanzo.  
  
"I know we're not the best of friends. I know we're always fighting. But since we're in this together, why can't we be friends? Why can't you accept that? Must you be so suspicious?" Sanzo looked at him. He had heard the whole conversation, and was sure that he was right in doing what he was about to do after Homura had left the room.  
  
"Would you be friends with someone who tried to harm you whenever possible?"  
  
"Normally, no. But the circumstances have changed, as have the rules. Did you once try to hurt us when we were in my room? And this is hard enough for me, I do not make friends so easily, nor do I choose to do so. It's just not my character. Think of it as a privilege that we've accepted you." With the end of the surprising speech, Sanzo slung a tentative arm around Homura's shoulders. Homura's only thought was that there was world of difference between Li's touch on his arm and Sanzo's touch. His step was considerably lighter.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
Hakkai smiled, seeing the ease in which Homura seemed to be in now, and then his smile drooped considerably when he thought about the circumstances that had allowed them to be friends. At Goku's expense? He spared a look at Goku, who was sleeping, not peacefully though, as his dreams seemed to be peppered with nightmares, judging from the way he was fidgeting.  
  
When Goku awoke, it was fear that his face showed, then a slight calmness when he caught sight of Hakkai. Disorientated, and still unsure of everything, he asked: "Hakkai, where's Li Tou Ten?" Hakkai looked away before replying, noting the obvious displeasure that littered Sanzo's features, he knew Sanzo was disappointed that Goku had not asked for him first.  
  
"I'm not sure. Why are you looking for him?" Hakkai was careful in answering, not sure what Goku would believe. Goku was so innocent, would he believe them or Li?  
  
"I want to thank him for helping me. I also want to help him. He looks so sad, he must miss his son a lot, I thought I might try to make him happy." The reply was so genuine and so Goku-like. Gojyo winced, wondering how they should handle this.  
  
"You be careful of him, Goku. He only tells lies, not truths." Sanzo said. He had been sitting close to Homura and only moved away when Goku had awakened. He was unprepared for Goku's response.  
  
"I do not believe you. Why are you so close to this man?" He indicated Homura with a slight tilt of his head.  
  
"The Toushin Taishi should be Nataku, Li Tou Ten's son. Not this man, not Homura. That's what he told me."  
  
"And you believe him over us?" Sanzo looked scandalized.  
  
"I don't know what to believe." At this, all was silent and the only sound that could be heard was the sigh that had come from Gojyo. No one knew what to do. It seemed that the situation was worse than they had thought. If Goku did not even believe them, how could they hope to keep him safe and away from Li Tou Ten?  
  
Author's note: to clear some people up and maybe hope that no one will come after me with a stick to beat me up, I'm sorry that the characters seem so out of character… well, I'll definitely put in more of the characters other than sanzo and homura (it does seem to focus on them, but can you blame me), I've decided that each character should have his own chapter, you know… and so it seems that this chapter belongs to homura.  
  
Review all you like. And I hope to bring you the next chapter within this year. I've been busy studying and trying to get thru life without dying of tests overload. Pardon. If I get more than 5 reviews for this chapter, I'll put my replies to each of the reviewers individually. Enjoy. 


End file.
